Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1887-04-13
ANNAPOLIS. MD. WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL Is, 1887
Dungeons OF Torture.

Nan and were looking at the view
from the windows The CASTELAR,
touched a secret spring. To our as
tonishment the floor opened. partly
rolled away, and we descended
secret fight of steps to the chapel,
thence to the summer-house. Here he
touched another spring and this floor
also opened. We descended to the
lower gardens, and from there to the
dark and gloomy cellars.
Then we were taken to the dungeons.
o, had never realized how awful such
things were First we went through
the remains of magnificent old
Roman bathroom, into which the
waters of the hot springs were former
ly conducted. Then in a grusome
manner each of us was given lantern
and we entered the dungeons.
Chains were unclaimed that, rusted
with years and dampness, are still
fastened to the walls; great solid stone
doors opened in most medieval man
ner. We were shown the gratings
through which food was passed to the
prisoners and twenty or thirty dark
cells, many of them dug out of the
solid rock, some of them so small that
we couldn't stand upright in them; but
when we reached the torture-room the
rack had been sent to the museum at
Nuremburg; but we stood in the judg-
ment-room, where are still the seats
upon which the Judges of the Vehme
Gericht sat during the trial, and the
secret door through which they enter
ed. We saw here the remains of the
secret passage dug through the mount
ain to the '.Old Schloss," three-quar-
ters of mile away-there used to be
Jesuit institute there; but it has been
suppressed. When the cellar of the
house in which we lodge was dug they
came upon part of this secret pass
age.
o, Baden-Baden is so old, and has
been so wicked What awful scenes
have passed here since before the times
of the Romans! The old CASTELAR,
showed us everything in the most
Udolpho style. Arumbling sound was
heard, rattle of bolts and chains,
heavy stone doors would clash, and all
Then we were taken to the place of
execution, going in regular order from
the long shaft through which the
wrctched, blindfolded victim was lower
ed to the dungeon in which he was kept
before trial, thence to the trial cham
Der, then to the torture chamber, then
to the dungeon, small and awful,
where the poor wretch, chained to the
wall, lay upon straw, his poor tortured
body suffering such dreadful agony,
and then. to his death. o, that was
beyond anything ! could have inn
agined!
Carrying our lanterns we were guild
ed through long passage called 1.-The
oubliette," till we came to a niche in
the wall, where a life-sized figure of
the Virgin formerly stood; the victim
was told to kiss it, and as he did so
! 1--WE stood on the opposite side of the
fgure) the floor at his feet gave way,
and he was precipitated down, down,
down pit, the sides of which were
lined with sharp, protruding knives,
till he fell 100 feet below into hot,
boiling spring and his sufferings were
over. The CASTELAR, lowered his iant-
ern several feet into this frightful pit,
which he had made to open, so that we
i might look down. O, how sick it made
us To see such horrors-and yet you
think that the world is growing more
and more wicked. Baden Baden Let
| ter.